FCB and Current Remember Victims of Gun Violence

30,000 people die from gun violence in the US every year. So many victims, we’ve become numb. How do you turn apathy into action?

In Illinois, where nearly 1,000 people are killed by guns annually, FCB and Current partnered with the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence to shock people into action by bringing some of the victims back to tell their own stories via the “Unforgotten” campaign. With no paid advertising support, FCB partnered with Current Lifestyle Marketing to publicize the campaign which includes:

Traveling art installation: The haunting exhibit features statues of eight victims of gun violence sculpted with the help of their families. Victims were carefully studied and sculpted according to their height, weight and demeanor before dressing them in their actual clothing. Each victim’s face is conspicuously absent, underscoring the senseless loss of life resulting from gun violence. The statues were unveiled in Chicago at an event attended by the victims' families, community leaders, passersby and media. An app visually identified a nametag on each statue, activating a video of each victim’s story and directing people to The Unforgotten website.

The-Unforgotten.org: Website visitors are encouraged to take action – sign a petition, share a personal story about gun violence and learn more about the topic.

Video documentary: The documentary was created to spread the word about the Unforgotten. It features interviews with victims' families and reactions to the memorial statues.

Since “Unforgotten” launched, The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence garnered a record number of site visits, stories shared and petitions signed. And an aggressive local media push for the campaign launch resulted in coverage that blanketed the Chicago market, from the cover of the popular lifestyle publication, Red Eye, to a feature segment that aired several times on CBS, to interest from NBC on partnering with the Council to sponsor future installations, nearly 50MM impressions have been generated to date.